The Tournament of Bands (TOB), also known as Tournament Indoor Association (TOB/TIA), is an American school band association and governing body that sanctions marching band, color guard, and drumline, competitions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. The "tournament of bands", or "tournament indoor", culminates in regional championships, or Chapter Championships, followed by the Atlantic Coast Championships (ACC), every November and May.
Founded in 1972 by the National Judges Association (NJA), TOB is composed of 439 member bands organized into eleven regions or chapters. It provides a large array of competitive performance opportunities including marching band, indoor guard, majorette, percussion, and dance teams. TOB/TIA sanctions approximately 150 marching band events and more than 100 indoor events every year.
Membership Membership is open to any elementary, middle, junior, or senior high school, as well as any college or university. An independent unit may join if certain criteria are met such as unit size and age of members. , membership are organized into eleven regions, or Chapters, across 9 states.
Number of members by state are: Delaware: 22 Maryland: 70 New Jersey: 61 New York: 4 North Carolina: 3 Ohio: 4 Pennsylvania: 225 Virginia: 27 West Virginia: 24
Marching band The Tournament of Bands sanctions about 140 marching band competitions throughout each fall, corresponding roughly with high school football season. Bands are judged on a 100-point linear scale by judges both on the field and in the press box. Bands are also divided into groups based on their size, and judged only within their group. Sizes are as follows: GroupMusiciansAuxiliary1Up to 303023150503517575476 or more In addition to the group sizes, there are three levels of performance classification that a member may elect to participate:
Open Class (formerly Championship) – Highest level of competition, intended for experienced bands.
A Class (formerly Regional and Invitational) – Intended for young bands prepared to compete at the regional or state-level.
Festival Class – Intended for young and developing bands. No scores are given for this class, only ratings.
Every class and group combination is available at all TOB-sanctioned events and Chapter Championships, or regional championships. Festival Class is not available at the annual Atlantic Coast Championships, only Open and A Class.
Indoor activities
The Tournament Indoor Association (TIA) is one of several circuits for indoor shows in the mid-Atlantic states (other circuits include MAIN, Cavalcade, KIDA, and TRWEA). TIA sanctions competitions for indoor guard, marching percussion, concert percussion, twirlers, and dance team units. The indoor season generally runs from late January to the first weekend in May. Units can be either scholastic or independent. Scholastic units are affiliated with a school. Independent units are usually not affiliated with a school. Classifications are as follows: Scholastic Elementary/Independent Cadet – For elementary school students or students under the age of 10. Scholastic Middle/Independent Junior – For students in middle school or up to the age of 14. Novice A – For color guards only Novice – For percussion, dance teams and twirlers Intermediate A – for color guards and percussion A class Open class World class University – All members must be students at the university and not over the age of 22. Judged on Open class sheets. Senior – All members must be 23 or older. Judged on open class sheets.
Units are divided into 11 chapters based on geography. Any unit which has participated in one contest throughout the season is eligible to participate in their respective Chapter Championships, which are usually held the last weekend in April, although in order to be a chapter champion, you must compete in two shows. Any unit which has participated in 4 contests throughout the season and Chapter Championships can compete in the Atlantic Coast Championships, which are held the first weekend in May in Wildwood, NJ. Depending on the number of groups competing in a single class, the tournament can have multiple rounds in which the higher scoring groups advance.
Atlantic Coast Championships Open Class (1973–present) Below is a list of past marching band champions organized by group. Championships are counted by group. YearGroup 1Group 2Group 3—1973CatasauquaSalisburyArchbishop Wood rowspan="7" 1974Catasauqua Thomas McKeanHammonton1975Penns GroveSalisbury Hammonton 1976Catasauqua Penns GroveHammonton 1977Penns Grove Sun ValleyOakcrestHammonton 1978Bald Eagle-NittanyUpper MerionHammonton 1979Penns Grove Sun Valley Hammonton YearGroup 1Group 2Group 3Group 41980Jonathan DaytonDavid BrearlySun ValleyGovernor Livingston1981Eastern RegionalDavid Brearly Sun Valley Williamsport1982David BrearlyNorthern HighlandsElizabethWilliamsport 1983Lock HavenSteinertHammonton Arlington1984BoontonSteinert Lake-LehmanWilliamsport 1985Bald Eagle-Nittany Steinert KearnyArlington 1986Bald Eagle-Nittany Middle TownshipLake-Lehman Mount Vernon1987SteinertLake-LehmanLebanonWilliamsport 1988Governor LivingstonLake-Lehman Middle TownshipCarlisle1989Governor Livingston Lake-Lehman Middle Township Williamsport 1990Governor Livingston Lake-Lehman Middle Township Carlisle 1991Governor Livingston Lake-Lehman BrandywineCarlisle 1992Governor Livingston Lake-Lehman Middle Township Mechanicsburg1993Hanover AreaGovernor LivingstonRed LandCarlisle 1994Haddon HeightsNorristownRed Land Mechanicsburg 1995Hanover Area Middle Township ClearviewMechanicsburg 1996Hanover Area Middle Township Red Land Mechanicsburg Year Group 1Open Group 2Open Group 3Open Group 41997Governor Livingston Middle Township NazarethPocono Mountain1998HendersonMiddle Township AbsegamiPocono Mountain 1999PittstonMiddle Township MechanicsburgPocono Mountain 2000Henderson Middle Township Mechanicsburg Pocono Mountain 2001TritonMiddle Township Lancaster CatholicPocono Mountain 2002Henderson Middle Township Absegami Westminster2003WilliamstownMiddle Township BensalemSouthern Regional2004Henderson Pocono Mountain WestLancaster Catholic Southern Regional 2005Governor Livingston Pocono Mountain West Mechanicsburg Lancaster CatholicSouthern Regional 2006Governor Livingston Middle Township Mechanicsburg Spring-Ford2007Lake-LehmanMiddle Township Mechanicsburg Spring-Ford 2008Governor Livingston Brick MemorialMechanicsburg Spring-Ford 2009Pittston Brick Memorial Mechanicsburg Daniel Boone2010BiglervilleBrick Memorial West DeptfordSpring-Ford 2011Governor Livingston Southern RegionalWest Deptford Spring-Ford 2012Governor Livingston West DeptfordMechanicsburg Spring-Ford 2013Biglerville West Deptford Southern RegionalSpring-Ford 2014Biglerville Deptford TownshipWest Deptford Spring-Ford 2015Biglerville West Deptford Brick MemorialSpring-Ford 2016Biglerville West Deptford Brick Memorial West Shore2017Biglerville West Deptford Southern Regional Brick Memorial2018Biglerville HuntingtownLibertyBrick Memorial 2019OakcrestWest Deptford Liberty Brick Memorial 2020 colspan="4" 2021AlleganyWest Deptford Brick Memorial Cab Calloway2022Allegany Southern Regional Brick Memorial Cab Calloway 2023Allegany Raritan Eastern RegionalLiberty 2024Allegany Raritan Southern Regional Eastern Regional Mifflin County2025Brick Township Southern Regional Liberty Musselman
Invitational and A Class (1997–present) Below is a list of past Invitational Class and A Class marching band champions organized by group. Championships are counted by group. Year Group 1Invitational Group 2Invitational Group 3Invitational Group 41997NanticokePenns GroveAvonworthShawnee1998PenncrestAbingtonBermudian Springs1999ChesapeakeIndian ValleyEmmausLinganore2000MontroseWilliamstownEast Pennsboro rowspan="10" 2001GatewayCamp HillEphrata2002Highland Regional Camp Hill Severna Park2003Timber Creek RegionalParkside Bloomsburg Area2004Big SpringCamp Hill Aububon2005Palmerton AreaAububonDaniel Boone2006North CarrollGranbyEphrata 2007Brunswick Hedgesville2008CatoctinBig SpringYork2009Queen Anne'sParkland Year Group 1A Group 2A Group 3A Group 42010CatasauquaArchbishop WoodMiddletown rowspan="2" 2011TritonTimber Creek RegionalPennsauken2012CumberlandEastern RegionalPennsauken Central Dauphin2013CollingswoodOakcrestPennsauken Central Dauphin 2014PerryvilleEastern Regional SpartaPenncrest2015OakcrestClarke County MetuchenLoudoun County2016WeehawkenWest EssexMiddletown Toms River North2017Pemberton TownshipWinslow TownshipMountain RidgeJackson Liberty2018WindberOakcrest Mifflin CountyKingsway Regional2019Southern GarrettMainland RegionalPoint PleasantFort Lee2020 colspan="4" 2021Winslow TownshipShawneeMifflin County Fort Lee 2022Southern Garrett BarnegatFort Hill Metuchen2023BloomfieldOdessaPoint Pleasant Borough2024JohnstownDeptfordDubois AreaFort Hill2025BarnegatNorth BergenMifflin County Odessa
See also Cavalcade of Bands USBands Bands of America
References
External links
TOB Info – Scores and historical rankings